Tropical Storm Karen threatens flooding along Gulf Coast

National Hurricane Center

National Hurricane Center

Ken KayeSun Sentinel

Tropical Storm Karen 5 a.m. Friday advisory

OUTLOOK: Karen weakened slightly overnight but is expected to regain strength on Saturday or Saturday night. The storm could produce more than a foot of rain and a dangerous storm surge in eastern Louisana as well as the Florida Panhandle.

Potentially, it could hit as a hurricane. For now, the system is forecast to make landfall as a strong tropical storm along the North Gulf Coast on Saturday night, with squally weather moving in earlier in the day.

WHAT FLORIDA CAN EXPECT: The storm should have little impact on South and Central Florida, as its core is expected to remain well to the west.

Along the North Gulf Coast, the system threatens to produce a storm surge of up to 4 feet above normal tide levels, with the highest waters east of the landfall point.

FLORIDA ALERTS: A hurricane watch has been posted from Grand Isle, La., to west of Destin, on Florida's Panhandle. The Florida counties in the watch area are: Escambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton, Bay and Gulf counties.

PARTICULARS: If the projected path holds, the system would remain about 575 miles west of Miami on Friday as it moves north in the Gulf. Its tropical-storm-force winds extend about 140 miles from its center.

Karen is the 11th named storm of the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. On average, the 11th system emerges on Nov. 23.

LOCATION: About 295 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River

STRENGTH: 60 mph sustained winds

MOVEMENT: Northwest at 10 mph

OTHER SYSTEMS: What was once Tropical Storm Jerry has fallen apart in the central Atlantic.